Study Links Ibuprofen To Extended Lifespan

Why Is This Important?

Because who doesn't want to live for an extra decade?

Long Story Short

A study shows that taking regular doses of ibuprofen could add a dozen healthy years to your life.

Long Story

The secret to a longer life might be hiding in plain sight (or at least behind the door of your medicine cabinet). U.S. researchers discovered that ibuprofen — yes, regular old ibuprofen — extended the lifespan of worms and flies by approximately 15%. Not only did they live longer, but they were healthy for that extra time. Now, how do you tell if a worm is healthy? They moved around a lot and swallowed food quickly (admittedly, that’s how I evaluate my health too). An extra 15% added to the average human lifespan would equal about a dozen extra years.

“This study was a proof of principle to show that common, relatively safe drugs in humans can extend the lifespan of very diverse organisms. Therefore, it should be possible to find others like ibuprofen with even better ability to extend lifespan, with the aim of adding healthy years of life in people,” researcher Dr. Michael Polymenis said in a release.

While the researchers aren’t 100% sure about all the factors involved, they believe that the ibuprofen interfered with the organisms’ ability to absorb tryptophan — an amino acid found in protein. The drug is known to reduce inflammation and this might be a key part of the process.

"Ibuprofen is something that people have been taking for years, and no one actually knew that it can have some benefits for longevity and health span,” added researcher Chong He in the press release.

Now before you go and have ibuprofen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, remember that there are side effects with taking any pill; ibuprofen can cause bleeding ulcers and even increase your risk of stroke and heart attack.

Obviously more research is needed, but these early results are promising. If a drug as widely available as ibuprofen can increase our lifespan this significantly, there’s a good chance that scientists will be able to soon develop a safe and effective treatment that will keep us healthier for longer.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: Should I wait for more results or can I start upping my ibuprofen intake right now?